Converter



(No' Modem" 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. W. BOOKWALTER.

diONVBRTER. No. 412,721. U Patented Oct. 15,1889.

paratus embodying my invention.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFIcE.

JOHN w. BOOKWALTER, or SPRINGFIELD, oi-no, ASSIGNOR ro THE BOOK- WALTERSTEEL AND IRON COMPANY, or JERSEY orrY, NEW JERSEY.

CONVERTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 412,721, dated October15, 1889.

Application fil d October 30, 1888. Serial No. 289,500- (No model) 7 Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. BOOKWALTER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Springfield, Clark county, Ohio, have in-- cessivelyand repeatedly into position to be agitated; and my invention consistsof anapparatus for efiectin g these results, constructed as fully setforth hereinafter and as illus-l trated in the accompanying drawings, inwhichp Figure l is a sectional elevation of an ap- Fig. 2 is a sectionalplan-of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevationof an apparatus illustrating a modification. Fig.

, 4: is a sectional elevation illustrating another modification. Fig. 5is a sectional plan on the line 5 5, Fig. 4.

The converter Ais of any suitable form and dimensions, and may be fixed.as shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, or it may be provided with trunnionsupon which to swing it. The converter is also provided with one or moretuyeres or nozzles 2, communicating with a pipe through which isadmitted any suitable aeriform oxidizing agent, as air. In theconstruction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the tuyere is formed in and by thehollow trunnion of the converter. In the other figures independenttuyeres extending through the walls of the converters are shown, and theconverting gas is introduced cold or hot, as may be required.

In suitable bearings in the walls of the converter turns a shaft 3,provided with blades 4, and constituting a revolving paddle B, which maybe either horizontal, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4, and 5, or the shaft maybe inclined to carry an inclined paddle, as shown position, so that therevolution of the driving-wheel 6 in the direction of its arrow willrotate the shaft 3 with great rapidity, imparting rotation to the paddlein the direction of its arrow. The revolving paddle, is preferablyarranged adjacent to that side of the converter opposite to the mouth ofthe 60 converter, so that when the latter is turned to pour out theconverted charge the paddle may not be immersed in the metal, and thelatter will not flow between the shaft and its bearing. 7 When thecharge of molten crude metal has been poured into the converter and thelatter has been brought to an upright position, if a tilting converteris used, a stream or current of converting gas is passed into theconverter through the nozzle or tuyere and the paddle is put in rapidrotation. The amount of metal introduced is such that the surfacethereof would be below the shaft 3, so that the blades of the paddleonlywill dip into the metal, and as they travel rapidly they are broughtforcibly against limited portions of the metal at a limited area of thesurface thereof, thereby subjecting such portions to a violent actionthat tends to separate the metal and impurities and direct the metal insheets or spray of finely-pulverized or finelydivided particles awayfrom the main body and into intimate contact with the converting agent,while the metal is skimmed off by the action of. the blades, constantlyexposing fresh surfaces to the converting action. Particles orimpuritiesseparated from the metal are deposited upon the comparatively quiescentsurface of the body of metal, while a gyration is imparted to the latterin the direct-ion of the arrows, which causes it to travel beneath thelayer of scoria upon the surface and back into position to be oper atedupon by the paddle,but without any tend- 5 ency to draw down theparticles lying upon the surface. By this means every portion of theentire body of metal is brought repeatedly into position to be violentlyagitated by the paddle without violently agitating the mo whole body ofmetal, and most extended surfaces of fresh metal are subjected to the action of the converting gas. After the conversion has been effected thesupply of converting agent may be cut off and the action of the paddlemay be continued until all the impurities are washed out of the metalonto the surface. As the process of conversion continues the level ofthe metal of the bath gradually sinks; but by tilting the converter,when a tilting converter is used, or by introducing displacing blockswhen a fixed converter is used, the proper relative positions of thepaddle and the surface of the metal may be maintained.

In the constructions shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the converter is fixed andsupplied with a converting blast through tuyeres or nozzles 2, and has acentral block 7, so as to form an annulus between the face of said blockand the walls of the converter, and the paddle B is arranged at one sideof the vertical axis of the converter, so as to act upon a limited areaof the metal violently, as before described, and impart a flow to thebody of the metal to and through the annulus that gradually brings everyportion repeatedly under the action of the paddle. Across the converterextends one or more bars 8, so arranged as to intercept the flow of themetal at the surface and thereby arrest or skim off the floatingparticles of scoria, &c., thrown upon the surface by the action of thepaddle, or formed thereon andca-rried with the current, so that the puremetal passes beneath the bars, exposing fresh surfaces constantly to theaction of the converting gas. This I do not here claim, as itconstitutes 'the subject of a separate application for Letters Patent,Serial N 0. 288,7 64.

When an inclined paddle is used, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the blades atone side only dip into and agitate the metal.

It will be evident that two or more revolving paddles may be employedwhere the converter islarge in size and the body of the metal is sogreat as not to be effectively acted upon by a single paddle.

Without limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement ofparts shown and described, I claim- 1. A converter provided with one ormore inlet-pipes or tuyeres, and with a paddle arranged above and inposition to act upon limited portions of the bath of metal in theconverter at the surface of the metal to separate such portions from themain body and expose them to the converting agent, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with a converter having a tuyere, of a revolvingpaddle arranged to act locally upon a part of the bath of metal in theconverter at the surface thereof to throw the same upward from the mainbody, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a tilting converter having a tuyere, of arevolving paddle arranged with its axis above the level of the surfaceof the bath of metal and at one side of the center of the converter,substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of a converter having a tuyere, a revolving paddlearranged with its transverse axis above the level of the surface of themetal in the converter in position for the blades to act only on alimited portion of metal at the surface of the bath, and a driving-shaftfor imparting rapid rotation to the paddle-shaft, substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN IV. BOOKWALTER.

Witnesses:

J. S. BARKER, W. S. McARTHUR.

